Rolling-mill appliance



June 23, 1925.

1,543,649 J. H. BODE ROLLING MILL APPLIANCE Filed Jan. 16: 1922 7 Sheecs-Sheet 1 'a a LL INVENTOR @www m7 June 23, 1925.

J. H. BODE ROLLING MILL APPLIANCE '7 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 16*7 1922 maui `lune 23, 1925.

J. H. BODE ROLLING MILL APPLIANCE Filed Jan. '16, 1922 'r sheen-sheet a J. H. BODE ROLLING MILL APPLIANCE June 23, 1925.

'7 Sheets-Shet 4 Filed Jan. 16, 1922 INVTOR June 23, 1925.

J. H. BODE ROLLING MILL APPLIANCE Filed Jan. 16, 1922 '7 Sheets-Sheet 5 H. m1/110m June 23, 1925. 1,543,649

J. H. BODE ROLLING MILL APPLIANCE Filed Jan. 16 1922 7 Sheets-Sheet e FIG B INVENTOR J. H. BODE ROLLING MILL APPLIANCE June 23, 1925.

Filed Jan. 16, 1922 7 Sheets-Sheet 7 INVENTOR space is suiiiciently large,

Patented June 23, 1925.

UNITED STATES yl'OlHN H. BODE, 0F BELLEVUE, PENNSYLVANIA.

ROLLING-KILL APPLIANCE.

Application led January 10, 1922. Serial No. 529,479.

To all whom t may cof/wem:

Be it known that I, JOHN H. Bonn, residing at Bellevue, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, a citizen of the United States, have invented or discovered certain new and useful Improvements 'In Rolling-Mill Appliances, of which improvements the following is specification.

rihe invention described herein relates to certain improvements in rolling mills andv has for its object the provision of mechanism for shifting the spindle forming the driving connection between the driving pinion and the lower roll, for the purpose of changing the lower roll and replacing the spindle of the lower roll. The invention is hereinafter more fully described and claimed. f'

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, Figs. 1 and 2 are front elevations of a rolling mill having my improvements combined therewith and showing respectively the manner of changing a lower roll. Figure 3 is a side elevation showing portions of a lower roll and its driving spindle and showing in section means for shifting the spindle and roll vertically and the Spindle laterally; Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 showing the lower roll and spindle reversed; Fig. 5 is a view partly in elevation and partly in section, the

plane of section being indicated by the lineV V-V, Fig. 3; Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. A5, showing the portions of the mechanism and spindle after the latter has been shifted laterally; Fig. 7 is a sectional detail view, the line are views partly elevation illustrating modifications ,Vin the operating mechanisms; and Fig. l0 is a sec'- tional elevation on the plane' indicated by the line X-X, Fig. 9.

In changing the bottom rolls of a large or blooming mill the roll must be lifted up a sufficient distance until its body portion is in line horizontally with the wider portions of the windows in the housings when the roll is moved longitudinally out through one of the windows of. the housing. Two methods are employed at present for removing the lower roll dependent upon the space on one side of the housing. If the it Ais the practice another roll of substantially the to employ the roll in the mill same weight as that of the plane of section being indicated by' VII-VII, Fig. 5; Figs. 8 and 9. in section and partly in' too counterbalance the latter while being shifted. In practice a sleeve is slipped onto the neck of the roll in the housmg and then the neck of the otherproll is inserted into the opposite end of the sleeve as shown 1nF1gs. 1 and 2. A chain from a crane 1s then passed around this sleeve and an upward pull is exerted thereon. As these rolls will balance one another, the roll in the mill will move up until it has reached a suiicient height to enable it to be moved longitudinally out through one of the windows. The foregoing statement would be true were it not that the driving spindle is connected to the end of the roll in the mill opposite that to which the spare roll is connected and hence in order that the roll inthe mlll may rise, it is the practice to connect another crane to the spindle adjacent to the roll and exerting an upward pull on the spindle to relieve the roll from the weight of the spindle, and when the roll reaches the desired height, this spindle is blocked up in its position and the rolls moved out as before stated. 4

.When there is' not sufficient room in the mill "to place this counterbalancing roll int j." operatlve relation to the roll in the mill, it` 1s the practice to lift the lower roll by passing a. chain around it between the housing and lift the same to the desired-distance, the spindle being lifted at the same time 'in the manner above stated; then a buggy is run in through the window under the roll,the latter lowered'onto the buggy and u withdrawn through the window.

ss i.

The replacement of a new roll is effected by a reversal of the respective operations.

lIn order to remove a broken spindle when necessary for any cause without removing the upper spindle, the position of which is indicated by dotted lines in Figs. 5 and 6, it is the present practice to provide skids along which the spindle may be drawn laterally until its ends are out of engagement with the neck of the roll and the neck of the driving pinion. These spindles are, in large mills especially, very heavy and sometimes twelvefeet or more in length and the above operationl requires a great deal of time and labor` In Vthe practice of the present invention a lifting. mechanism is arranged outside of the housing on the spindle side thereof and in line vertically with the spindle, as clearlyl shown' in Fig. 1. Normally, the head of this lifting mechanism will be below the spindle and by the operation of this lifting mechanism the spindle can be lraised when either of the above methods are employed for removing the lower roll, and held in' position until a new roll is placed 1n the mill and in engagement with the spindle, when the latter will be moved down by the operation of the lifting mechanism simultaneously with the lowering of the roll.

In the construction shown in. Figs. 1, 2 and 3, a desiable form of lifting mechanism consists of a head 1 pivotally mounted on the upper end of a shaft 2 which passes downwardly through a suitable casing which is provided with guides 3 for the shaft. The lower portion of this shaft is threaded and passes through a nut 4 having bearings 5 in the frame or casing and connected or formed integral with a bevel gear 6. This bevel gear intermeshes with a corresponding pinion 7 loosely mounted on the end of a shaft 8 mounted in bearings in the casing and adapted to be connected to and disconnected from the shaft 8 by clutch mechanism 10 of any suitable construction and operative by a hand lever 11. The shaft, 8 is driven by a suitable motor preferably an electric motor 12 through suitable reducing gears indicated at 13. In lieu of the mechanical lifting means as shown in Figs. 3, 5 and 7 a hydraulically operated jack maybe employed as shown in Figs. 8 and 9. Vhen such construction is employed the head 1 is pivotally mounted on the upper end of the ram 2a extending down -into the cylinder 3a which is connected to a suitable source of water or other fluid under pressure,vby a pipe 14. It will be readily understood by those skilled in the art thatv by the employment of either one of these mechanisms which form part of the permanent equipment of the mill, the end of the spindle connected to the lower roll may be raised simultaneously with the roll and maintained in such elevated position without the employment of a crane or means for sustaining it in this elevated position.

It is frequently necessary to replace the lower spindle and in order to lprovide for the easy and quick remo-val of the old spindle and the insertion of another, one or more frames 15, the number beino* dependent' upon the length of the spindl., are arranged transversely of and below the spindles, said frames being provided with suitable guides for the beds 16, which are movable transversely of the spindle. These sliding beds are provided with concave seats 17 for the reception of the spindles and take the place of the means usually employed for s-upporting the spindles when the mill is in operation. When it is desired to shift a spindle these beds are slid along their frames, being movable in a direction at -nally movable bed 16. In

right angles to the spindle and carry the same along until the ends of the spindles are freed from driving connection with the neck of the roll and with the driving pinion and pass out of alignment with upper spindle. While any suitable means may be employed for shifting these beds, the constructions shown have been found to be suitable. In the construction shown in Figs. 3, 5, 6 and 7, the shaft 8 is provided with a worm 18 adapted to intermesh with a worm wheel 19 on the countershaft 20. This worm wheel is loosely mounted on the shaft but it is adapted to be connected thereto so as to rotate with the shaft o-f a clutch mechanism 21. A pinion 22 on the countershaft 2O intermeshes with a gear wheel 23 on the shaft 24 which extends parallel with the spindle but below the same and is provided with one o-r more pinions 25 dependent upon the number of shifting mechanisms employed, adapted to intermesh with rack 26 on the underside of the longitudithe construction shown in Figs. 3, 5 and 6 the same motor is employed for operating the lifting mechanism and also for shifting the spindle to one side. In lieu of the mechanical means described and sho-wn in Figs. 3, 5, 6 and 8 for moving' the spindle laterally, a fluid pressure cylinder 27 may be employed for that purpose as shown in Fig. 9. This fluid pressure cylinder 27 has its ram connected t0 an arm 29 on a shaft 30 which is also provided with an arm 31 connected by a link 32 to the bed 16.

Either of these mechanisms, which are a part of the equipment of the mill, permits ofthe easy and quick removal of a spindle, which when shifted to one side of its normal position, can be lifted by a crane from the bed and a new spindle put in position thereon, and by reversal of the movement of the bed carried back to position where it may be connected to the necks of the roll and driving pinion. It is preferred to employ a form of universal joint permitting of the easy disengagement of one of its movable members from the others by a lateral movement, for connectin the ends of the spindle with the rolls and t e pinions.

I claim herein as my invention:

1. In a mechanism for removing the lower roll of a rolling mill the combination means for raising the lower roll a sufficient heighty to permit of its longitudinal movement, and mechanism for simultaneously raising the end of the roll spindle in. engagement with the roll.

2. A rolling mill having in combination therewith a head arranged below and in vertical alinement with the spindle of the lower roll at a point adjacent to the end of the spindle in' engagement with the roll and means for moving said head vertically to raise such end as the roll is lifted for reeil to support the sp moval from the housing.

3. A rolling mill having spindles having in combination therewith a member arranged below and in vertical alignment with the spindle of the lower roll at a point adjacent to the end of the spindle in engagement with the lower roll, a head pivotal mounted on the upper end of said member, and means for moving said memberl vertically for raising and lowering such end of the spindle. v Y

4. A rolling mill having spindles havin in combination therewith a member adapted indle of the mill at a point intermediate of its ends, and means for moving the member and the spindle carried thereby horizontally and laterally of tbA spindle.

5. A rolling mill having spindles having in combination therewith a bed having a seat or bearing for the spindle and movably mounted below the spindle, and means for shifting the bed in a direction at an angle to the axes of the rolls.

6. A rolling mill having spindles having in combination therewith a frame extending under the spindle of said mill, a bed movably mounted on the frame and provided with seats or bearings for the lower spindle, said parts adapted to support the spindle when in operativeposition, and means for shifting the bed t0 move a spindle laterally from and to operative'position.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand.

JOHN H. BODE. 

